I LOVED FaerieCon! Last weekend, Philadelphia was host to the first FaerieCon festival, organized by the same folks who for the past six years have put on the astoundingly successful Faerieworlds outdoors festival near Eugene, Oregon.

I have some big faery events and developments in store for next year, described below.

Above — At last I meet Merlin!

At FaerieCon I shared vendor tables with Phyllis Galde, publisher of FATE Magazine (for which I am consulting editor), and we joined in the celebrations of faeries and faery lore. Artists Brian and Wendy Froud were guests of honor, and many leading faery artists, authors and performers met and entertained the fans.

The crowd was full of faery costumes, too – a gorgeous event from start to finish, complete with two costume balls for Good Faeries and Bad Faeries.

Above — Our table neighbors, artist Chris Boston, left, and her associate, Jule, all the way from Australia!

I’ve been out on the front lines of ghosts, hauntings and paranormal investigation for some time, but long-time readers know that my work and interests are quite diverse. I’ve been involved in the faery realm since the early 1990s in terms of my work, stimulated by some childhood experiences. Some of my experiences are told in my how-to book, “Fairy Magic,” which has been enjoying success on both sides of the Atlantic. See the books mart on my site, http://www.visionaryliving.com/books.php

I’ve also written articles on faeries – some have been published in FATE, and two of them are featured in FATE’s new book, “Our Faerie Best.” http://www.fatemag/com

The faeries (I prefer this spelling) have been at me for a while to become more active again, and I’m paying attention. They are important figures in our Otherworld experiences, and I believe that our relationships with this realm are evolving in significant and positive ways.

FaerieCon http://www.faeriecon.com returns to Philly next year in October, and I’ll be back there, too, with FATE in a bigger presence. I’ll also be a featured guest at next year’s Maryland Faerie Festival (June 7-8) in Upper Marlborough – see www.marylandfaeriefestival.org.

Also in the works… a new faery book… a CD… faerie merchandise… and something exciting for the Internet!

Meanwhile, for a capsule look at faeries, check out my blog, “Not Your Grandma’s Fairies,” on the Paranormal Insider blog, http://paranormalinsider.com/history_and_folklore/